Out Of Darkness
by Original Sister
Summary: Believed to be dead at the age of 9 Bruce Wayne not only lost his childhood best friend Isabella Blake but also the only piece of true happiness he'd had since his parent's murder. Now 12 years later Bruce finds himself a broken wealthy billionaire playboy on the verge of a permanent meltdown, but what happens when a life changing revelation comes to light.
1. Chapter 1

Out of Darkness

Summary: Believed to be dead at the age of 9 Bruce Wayne not only lost his childhood best friend Isabella Blake but also the only piece of true happiness he'd had since his parent's murder. Now 12 years later Bruce finds himself a broken wealthy billionaire playboy on the verge of a permanent meltdown, but what happens when a life changing revelation comes to light.

Twilight and Batman Begins/ The Dark Knight crossover

Pairing: Bella Swan and Bruce Wayne/Batman

**Author's note: Hi everyone so I'm really excited about this story, I've been wanting to a Batman crossover for ages now but never found the write time to do it. So what is going to be happening is that this story will be basically running off the new Batman movies, I will adding in some more Twilight characters later on in the story as I want to start off with introducing Bella first. Note that her character will be very fragile for a while because of where I'm going with this, but her personality will change after a while so stay with me on that one. I don not own Twilight or Batman.**

Prologue

"Daddy! Daddy! Look what John can do" came a sweet little voice causing Wilber Blake to curse out loud as he lifted his head only to bang it on his cars front hood. He was in the process of fixing the engine but had completely forgotten about his surroundings for a few minutes as he was just feeling too frustrated. He was supposed to be working an extra shift fifteen minutes ago but his god forsaken car wouldn't start, his boss just gave him grief over the phone and to top it off the kid's baby sitter was late.

"Are you alright daddy?" his little girl asked as she looked at him with worry.

"I'm fine Bell's just go back in the house" Wilber said, well more like demanded to his little girl.

"But daddy you have to see what John did, its really neat" Isabella said excitedly.

"I don't have time Bell's now go back inside" Wilber said with the frustration building up on his chest.

"But daddy…" Isabella started but was suddenly cut off by her father.

"I SAID GO BACK INSIDE BELLA NOW FOR GODS SAKES DO AS YOUR TOLD!" Wilber yelled but suddenly felt wave of guilt wash over him as he saw the fear in his daughter's eyes as she scurried back inside faster than the wind could carry. Wilber had never felt so ashamed of himself in his entire life, but in that moment he wished he could die. He had not meant to take his anger out on his daughter like that let alone at all, yet just knowing he had frightened Isabella nearly half to death was like a knife to his heart.

Wilber had never been much of an angry person, he worked at Gotham City Police department where his colleagues knew him to be a loving and gentle family man that could do no wrong. But all that had changed when his wife Maria Blake passed on when Isabella and John (who are both twins) were five years old. She had gotten mugged by a bunch of thugs whilst on her way to see the kids in a school play and was then shot and left for dead in a parking lot.

Since then Wilber had tried his best to carry on life with his children, but each day that passed he found it harder and harder to cope. He had distracted himself with work and taken up anger management classes for the kid's sakes, which he thought were beginning to work. Up until now that is.

He wanted more than anything to just call work and tell them he wouldn't be in so he could spend the rest of the night cuddling his children, but he knew he couldn't because there was just too much crime going on right now and Commissioner Gordon needed every police officer on duty. Wilber made a vow that he would make it up to Isabella and John for how he had been treating them lately, though he honestly thought they deserved a better father than him along with a better life.

In that moment Wilber looked up to the sky and prayed that wherever his wife was right now that she would forgive him for the disgrace he had become.

"I'm so sorry sweetheart, I'm so sorry" Wilber whispered to the wind in hopes that Maria could hear him.

Five minutes later he had finally been able to fix the cars engine, and just in time as the babysitter had just parked up in the driveway.

"I'm so sorry Mr Blake I got here as fast as I could" the young woman said as she closed her car door.

"No that's ok Tiffany, but listen I got to run. Dinners in the oven, help yourself to anything, the kids can stay up until eight thirty but no later. Oh and make sure that Bella's windows locked before she goes to bed, I keep telling her to keep it closed but she never listens" Wilber said before taking off in his police cruiser.

Watching from her bedroom window as her father departed the driveway little Bella couldn't help but feel truly hurt inside, not only for the fact that her father had yelled in her face but also because before he usually went to work he would give her and John a huge hug and tell them how much he loved them. But ever since her mother had gone away to heaven she and John didn't feel as loved anymore. Their father would just drop the baby sitter on them and come and go as he pleased without saying another word. All she had wanted to do before was show her father her brother doing one of his day to day athletic tricks, but after he yelled in her face she ran straight to her room and hid under the covers feeling terrified because her father had never once raised his voice like that. Lying on her bed she cried into her pillow and wished with all her heart that her mother were there to comfort her.

"Bella" she heard a voice call out before she heard her bedroom door open. "Bella? Bella what's wrong?" her brother asked as he crawled up onto her bed.

"Daddy hates me" Bella cried.

"What? Of coarse he doesn't silly Belly, why would you say that?" John asked gently pulling the hair away from his sister's face.

"He yelled at me John, I tried to tell him about your neat trick and he yelled at me" Bella said not turning to face him.

"But daddy never yells" John said.

"Well he did, ok, he did" Bella stated raising her voice.

"Don't cry Belly, please don't cry" John said trying to comfort his sister as he spooned her from behind. If there was one thing that hurt John in life it was to see his sister hurting, physical or emotional. Besides being his sister Bella was his one true best friend in life, whenever she hurt he hurt too. Though besides him there was always one person who could always put a smile back on her face, someone who he knew his sister had a very big crush on. And that person was Bruce Wayne.

How they know Bruce Wayne you ask? Well that's simple, it was because their parents had been best friends with Martha and Thomas Wayne (Bruce's parents) through high school and both families met up one day, which was how a 4 year old John and Bella were officially introduced to a 6 year old Bruce Wayne. It had came to a shock to both parents how Bruce took to Bella so quickly, the two got on so well that even Martha had commented it was like they'd known each other all along.

When Bella and John had met Rachel Dawe's, who was a close family friend of Bruce's John was without a doubt smitten with the pretty brunette as he had made her a sweet dandelion necklace. Which Bella and Bruce still teased him on till this day.

When Bruce was 8 years old his parents had sadly suffered a tragic death, which left Bella and John to comfort their friend in his hour of need. The three children had been heartbroken at the fact that Martha and Thomas were gone. The twins had found a loving Aunt and Uncle in both of them, which was why it was just as painful for them as it was for their friend. And though Bruce still had his butler, Alfred, who was like a grandfather to him it wasn't enough to fill the hole in his chest because his mother and father had been his entire world.

Now three years later Bruce was still living at his parent's mansion with Alfred who had willing taken up a fatherly role in the boy's life. Bella and Bruce's bond was stronger than ever before given that they saw each other everyday and were practically glued to the hip. John and Bruce had a more brotherly relationship going on, which pleased both parties because Bruce had always wanted a brother and John had always wanted someone to look up to in life.

"John" Bella said.

"Yeah Bella?" John said.

"Do you think Mama's watching us from heaven?" Bella asked.

"Of course she is Belly, she's an angel now" John said.

"I wish I could see her, I miss her so much" Bella said as another tear rolled down her face.

"I miss her too Belly, but you still have me and I'll always be here for you no matter what" John softly said to his sister.

"You promise?" Bella asked slowly rolling over to look at her twin.

"I promise" John said as the two smiled at each other before an ear splitting voice rang out.

"Hey losers your dinners out so get your buts down here before it gets cold!" their baby sitter shouted from downstairs. Oh yeah did they forget to mention that Tiffany was the devil of all baby sitters who did nothing but give them a hard time, but acted all innocent in front of their father. Of course they tried to tell him what Tiffany was like, but he wouldn't believe them.

"I really hate her" John said looking at the door with a scowl.

"Me too" Bella said as the two chuckled at this before going downstairs to eat their dinner, which thanks to Tiffany was ruined as the pizza was burnt to crisp, not that Tiffany seemed to care as she was too busy watching the T.V in the living room. Unknown to Tiffany though the kid's were prepared for such an occasion as Bella and John kept a secret stash of goodies hidden in their rooms.

An hour later a storm had begun to brew up outside as it lashed it down with rain, followed by thunder and lighting. Bella and John were in the middle of playing tag, which had them running round the entire house like mad. Much to Tiffany's pure annoyance.

"Would you brats knock it off for five minutes, I'm on the phone here!" Tiffany shouted at the twins as they ran past her.

"Tag! Your it" Bella said as she tapped her brothers shoulder.

"Hey! Are you two deaf? I said knock it off" Tiffany shouted again, but they paid no mind to her.

And just as John began chasing his sister back through the living room he watched with his own eyes as Tiffany stuck out her leg and tripped Bella up causing his sister to go flying on her face.

"Bella!" John yelped as he ran over to his sister and gently picked her up as the little girl cried whilst holding her right arm in pain.

"You idiot! Look what you've done to my shoe" Tiffany said complaining about an unnoticeable scuffmark on her trainer.

"Don't you yell at my sister, I saw what you did you big nosed ugly witch" John yelled back to Tiffany as he held onto his sister.

"Well it's her own fault, I told the both of you to stop but did you listen? Nooooo" Tiffany said.

"You wait till my daddy gets home, then you'll be sorry" John snapped back.

"Oh yeah? Well go ahead and tell him, but I guarantee he won't believe you. Brat" Tiffany said.

"He will, my daddy's the best and when he finds out you hurt my sister on purpose you'll be in big trouble" John said.

"You keep telling yourself that, but in the mean time my shows about to start so get you and your clumsy twin up to bed and stay there" Tiffany demanded as John then threw her one last dirty look before picking his still crying sister up off the floor and departed from the living room.

As they got to the stairs though a fantastic idea suddenly entered John's tiny mind as he took his sisters hand and quickly but quietly pulled her into the kitchen before opening up one of the draws.

"John what are you doing?" Bella asked.

"Shhhh she'll hear us" John whispered as he opened up another draw and continued to root through it until he finally found what he was looking for. "Jackpot" he said.

"What?" Bella asked.

"Its payback time" John smirked as he presented two cans of silly string spray to his sister.

"Are you crazy? We'll get into trouble for sure" Bella hissed at him.

"Maybe, but it'll be worth it. I'm not gonna let her get away with hurting you like that" John said as Bella looked unsure of the idea. "Come on Belly, you know you want to" he said shaking the can in front of her as to egg his sister on.

"Weeelll…ok" Bella said taking the can with a smile as she just simply couldn't resist the chance at getting her own back on Tiffany. The twins then snuck back to the living room.

"You take one side of the couch and I'll take the other, but wait for my signal" John whispered as Bella nodded before they quietly began crawling into the room being sure to go unnoticed by Tiffany. Bella taking the left side while John took the right both poked their heads out at the back of the couch trying not to laugh.

"Ready?" John mouthed as Bella replied with thumbs up. "One, Two, Thr…" but just before he could finish they heard a loud thunder strike outside and suddenly found themselves in complete darkness.

"You have got to be freaking kidding me" Tiffany screeched at the now blank T.V.

"NOW!" John yelled as the twins stood up from their hiding places and opened fire on Tiffany who in return screamed like there was no tomorrow whilst John and Bella laughed hysterically as the silly string went all over Tiffany's hair and face.

"Now who's the idiot!" Bella shouted at Tiffany through her own laughter, and once each spray can was empty both brother and sister bolted from the room feeling beyond satisfied for what they had just done.

"YOU BRATS ARE DEAD! DO YOU HEAR ME? DEAD! I'M GOING TO SLAUGHTER YOU BOTH" Tiffany screamed as her voice practically shook the entire house like an earthquake.

"Quick hide" John whispered to his sister as they both split up. John ran up the stairs, while Bella ran to the kitchen and hid in the pantry. Being small enough she easily fit so it was the perfect hiding place. She then remained quiet as she heard Tiffany approaching.

"YOU MIGHT WELL RUN! AND YOU BETTER HOPE FOR YOUR SAKES THAT I DON'T FIND YOU BECAUSE I SWEAR WHEN I DO IT'LL BE NO MERCY!" Tiffany bellowed as doors could be heard opening and closing through the house.

'I wish daddy were here' Bella thought to herself as she heard the sound of Tiffany's footsteps retreating up the stairs. The sound of thunder rocked the house again making Bella jump in fear as she tucked her legs under her chin and waited in the darkness.

Upstairs John was hiding in his father's laundry basket hoping that wherever his sister had gotten to that Tiffany wouldn't find her.

"You can't hide forever you little twerps. Come out and face me like a man!" Tiffany shouted.

While remaining perfectly quiet John suddenly heard a noise come from somewhere in the house.

"What the hell?" Tiffany said.

Bang!

"Guys?" he heard Tiffany call out. "Hey squirts if that's you…"

Bang! Bang!

As Tiffany followed the noise to the staircase she looked over the banister and saw that it was coming from the front door.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Oh god someone was trying to break into the house!

"John! Bella!" Tiffany screamed.

SMASH!

Was what was heard through out the house as John shot up from the basket in a blind panic.

"Tiffany?" he called out but got no answer. "Tiffany?" he tried again but still got no reply.

CRASH!

Jumping at this he immediately squatted back down in the basket and kept extremely quiet.

Downstairs Bella was trembling like mad as she had heard the sound of glass smashing, but had done her best not to scream. Sneaking open the cupboard door a bit she saw lights coming from the hallway and heard voices.

"Check the upstairs" she heard someone say.

Bella then heard someone approaching the kitchen and quickly ducked away as a light shined through. Keeping as still as a statue Bella felt the chills run down her spine as she heard the persons footsteps drawing closer, in which the little girl squeezed her eyes tightly closed and willed whoever it was to go away.

Fate must have been on her side at that moment as a commotion was heard upstairs before someone yelled.

"Sir! Up here!" they said before the person in the kitchen turned and walked out.

Upstairs it was all going on as Tiffany had been ambushed by one of the muggers, but thankfully she was able to take the man down by nailing him in the crown jewels, punching him in the face. She then dodged into a random bedroom and locked the door, unaware she had company.

"Tiffany" she heard someone whisper as she turned to see John popping his head out from the basket.

"John thank god, where's your sister?" Tiffany whispered as she lifted him out.

"I don't know she ran off somewhere" John said with tears in his eyes.

"We got to get you out of here" Tiffany said panicking as she heard the pounding of feet coming up the stairs.

"How?" John asked shaking as he tightly held onto Tiffany's hand whilst watching the door.

"Your gonna have to climb out the window" Tiffany said quickly unlocking the window and opened it to see that it was a rather steep drop, but they were gonna have to chance it.

"Are you crazy? I'll die" John said nearly screeching but suddenly they both jumped as the intruders began pounding against the door.

"Not if you slide down the drain pipe" Tiffany whispered frantically.

"No but what about Bella? We can't leave her behind" John said.

"I'll find her John but you have to go and find help now, its our only chance" Tiffany said finally convincing the boy as she helped him out the window as he carefully sidled over to the pipe. "Hurry John" she whispered frantically again as she saw that they were running out of time.

"I got it" John said grabbing the pipe.

"Good, now wrap both your arms and legs around the pipe and slide down" Tiffany instructed as the boy did as he was told. " And John" she said as he turned round to look at her. "Once your down you run, ok? Don't look back for anything just go for help" she said with tears welling up in her eyes knowing the inevitable truth for her own fate as John just nodded in understanding before taking a deep breath and sliding down the pipe.

BANG! Went the door behind Tiffany as she spun round in time to see a man wearing a scarecrow mask throw out his hand and spray something in her face. This had her coughing for a moment before she looked back up to see not one, but seven beastly looking monsters all approaching her.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" was what Bella heard from upstairs as tears poured down her face. She rocked back and forth praying for someone to come rescue her and John. She knew by the sounds of it that it was already too late for Tiffany, but if she and her brother didn't get out of here they would be goners as well.

If only the power hadn't gone out then she could have phoned the…just then like a light bulb clicked on as Bella remembered something. She recalled Tiffany having a cell phone in her hand when she and John were chasing each other. Could Tiffany have possibly left it on the couch?

There was only one way to find out, she only hoped that she didn't get caught in the process.

So peaking out first she checked that the coast was clear before quietly opening the pantry door and climbing out, being careful not to knock anything over. Once she was out she looked poked her head round the corner and saw none in sight. She then crept down the dark hallway constantly being aware of her surroundings until she successfully reached the living room. To Bella's great joy she found the cell phone behind one of the cushions, but just then she heard someone coming and in a blind panic she ran and hid behind one of long the curtains away from sight.

"Isabella" she heard someone call out.

"I know you're here" they said as Bella couldn't help but feel confused at how this person knew her name.

"Come out come out wherever you are" the person cooed.

"There's no use in running, you'll only make things worse for yourself" they said as Bella then quickly snapped the phone open and dialled 911.

_Rinnnnng_

_Rinnnnng_

_"__911 what's your emergency?" the woman asked._

"There's someone in my house" Bella whispered.

_"I'm sorry honey could you speak up?"_

"I said that someone broke into my house, I can't find my brother and now I think they killed my baby sitter" Bella whispered frantically.

_"Where are you right now honey?"_

"I'm hiding in the living room, but he's trying to find me. Please you have to help me" Bella pleaded with tears leaking out her eyes.

_"Ok sweetie calm down were gonna send someone out to you now. Can you give me your name and address?"_

"My names Bella Blake I live at 42 Winterfed Aven…" just before Bella could finish though someone had pulled back the curtain and standing before her was man in a scarecrow mask staring down at her.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

_"Bella! Bella can you hear me? Its dad! Bella are you there? Bella!"_

**Authors note: So what did you think of this first chapter? Good? Bad? Let me know, leave your reviews.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

5 Years Later

**Bruce - 16**

**John - 14 **

**Rachel - 15**

_"Last night an amber alert was raised over Gotham City as 9 year old Isabella Blake, daughter of former police officer Wilber Blake was abducted from her own home after a vicious attack took place. Trisha O'Brien is on scene this morning with this breaking story. Over to you Trisha"._

_"Thank you Steve. At precisely eight fifteen last night Isabella Marie Blake was reported missing after Gotham police department received a shocking distress call from young Isabella herself just moments before her abduction. Police arrived on scene to find the body of 23 year old Tiffany Carlson who was at the time baby sitting twins John and Isabella, but later suffered a tragic end. 9 year old Jonathan Blake had narrowly escaped the kidnappers as he fled the scene with the help of Miss Carlson and was luckily found not long after by two police officers on duty._

_Both father and son are at complete loss with their loved one being torn away so monstrously and are now struggling to cope. Wilber Blake later reported that he could not understand who would want to bring harm to his little girl or why for that matter, but vowed that he would not rest until he finds his daughter and put these criminals behind bars._

_Commissioner Jim Gordon ordered a wide spread search across Gotham and asks for anyone who has any information on the where abouts of young Isabella Blake to please come forward immediately as time is of the essence. I'm Trisha O'Brien, back to you Ste..._

"Pardon me Master Wayne but Miss Dawe's is here to see you" came a voice.

"Thank you Alfred, tell her I'll be just a minute" said young Bruce Wayne as he paused the news report that he had documented all those years ago.

"As you wish Sir" Alfred said before backing out the room.

You see it had been 5 years since Isabella Blake's disappearance and even though Bruce had hired nearly every best agent and detective in the world not one of them had come up with a single result to help find his friend.

The day he found out Isabella had gone missing Bruce had been beside himself, like someone had punched a hole through his chest. He couldn't believe that she'd been snatched just hours after he had last seen her. It hadn't felt real, not to him at least. Isabella was the sweetest girl he knew, besides Rachel that is and like her father he couldn't understand why anyone would want to kidnap her.

It was no secret that the day he first laid eyes on Isabella Bruce had been taken back by her beauty. She had been so cute with her little smile, pretty sparkling brown eyes and a blush that warmed his heart. The biggest thing about it though was that he had known his friend Rachel all his life and never once felt the need to impress her, and yet as soon as Isabella had come along Bruce had wanted nothing more than to get down on his knees and beg her to be his future princess.

Yet that plan had shot straight to hell when she disappeared.

After his parents were murdered Isabella had managed to fill the huge gap they had left in his heart and patched up every crack along the way.

But no sooner was that said his entire empire of love and strength had come crumbling down once he saw the horrifying news about Isabella. It was like someone had violently pulled the rug from beneath his feet. Isabella was that one important person that kept Bruce going, and fates had snatched her away like they had his parents.

So from then on Bruce had officially closed himself off to the world. He no longer let others into his heart as he felt he no longer had one. Though he still saw Isabella's twin brother John from time to time, but not as much.

John was more stuck into his study's these days as he was determined to get good grades for college and from there planned to become a police officer one day like his father before him, who had sadly passed on a couple of years ago due to alcohol poisoning. After the police department had abandoned the search for Isabella Wilfred had basically become an alcoholic and lost his job, which then led social services no choice but to place John into foster care where he was soon adopted by a loving family.

Sighing as he paused the video Bruce left the sitting room to greet Rachel, who was by the front door talking to Alfred.

"Rachel" he said.

"Hi Bruce" Rachel greeted him with a smile.

"I'll leave you to it Sir" Alfred said leaving the two alone.

"So, how are you?" Rachel asked awkwardly.

"Good, been better. What about you? How's things" Bruce asked.

"The same" Rachel said as he nodded.

"Do you wanna come inside?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah thanks" Rachel nodded stepping over the threshold closing the door behind her as the two then walked back to the lounge.

"So errr what brings you here?" Bruce asked motioning for Rachel to take a seat on the sofa.

"Just wanted to check up on you, John and I haven't seen you round in a while so I just thought I'd make sure things were ok" Rachel said.

Oh yeah that was another thing he forgot to mention. After years of wallowing in his own self pity John had finally summoned up the courage to tell Rachel how he felt about her, and vice versa. They weren't officially dating or anything yet because they both wanted to wait until they were out of High school before they took their friendship to the next level.

"I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?" Bruce shrugged. "By the way any news on your mum?" he asked as Rachel's mother had gotten into a car accident a couple of month back and had fallen into a coma for a while, but had thankfully woken up.

"Yeah she's doing a lot better, the doctors said she'll be able to come home next week but she'll have to take it easy for a while" Rachel explained.

"That's really great Rachel" Bruce said with a smile.

"Bruce, that's not the reason I came here to talk to you. The truth is…John and I were…" she trailed off.

"What?" Bruce asked curiously.

"Were really worried about you" Rachel said as Bruce looked fathomed. "What you're doing to yourself" she said.

"Not this again Rachel" Bruce sighed in frustration.

"Yes Bruce this again, and its gonna keep coming back to this until we finally get through to you" Rachel snapped at him.

"There's nothing wrong with me Rachel" Bruce said walking over to the window.

"And I hear you say that, but who are you really trying to convince here? Me or yourself?" Rachel asked as Bruce just stared out the window.

"How much longer do you plan to keep pushing us all away? You act like the whole worlds against you" Rachel said as Bruce just remained silent. "Why don't you just let us help you?" she asked.

"I don't need your help" Bruce said.

"Oh obviously, because you're doing such an amazing job so far" Rachel said sarcastically. "Tell me Bruce when you wake up in the mornings do you happen to take the time to get a good look at yourself in the mirror, and I mean really look?" she asked as Bruce lowered his gaze so he was looking at his feet. "You're destroying yourself Bruce, literally just throwing your life away" she said turning her head to see a paused image of Isabella on the T.V. "You have to let it go" she softly spoke.

"I can't" Bruce said knowing exactly what she meant by that.

"Bruce..."

"I can't Rachel! Ok I can't" Bruce snapped.

"It's been 5 years Bruce, don't you think if there was a chance that Bell's was still out there that something would have come up by now?" Rachel asked.

"I don't expect you to understand Rachel" Bruce said brushing her off.

"Hey! Don't you dare say that me, you're not the only whose suffered Bruce. John lost his, sister, his father and his mother. He was sent into foster care and then got adopted by strangers while you get to live in this gigantic mansion. And what about me huh? Bell's was like a sister to me, she made us all stronger. And instead of respecting her memory by getting on with your life you're shutting yourself off and throwing away the key, something Bell's would not want you to do" Rachel said.

"Don't you use her against me, you don't have a clue what Bella would want. You didn't know her like I did" Bruce snapped at her.

"I'm not trying to use her against you I'm trying to prove a point here" Rachel half yelled.

"The point is you need to keep your nose out of my business, what I do with my life has nothing to do with you. And as for throwing Bella in my face that was low blow even for you Rachel. You of all people know how I felt about her, how I still feel about her. You have no idea what her disappearance did to me, how it affected my life. She wasn't just a friend to me, she was someone who represented the good in life, a light that shined through the darkness that nearly consumed me after my parents died. She was everything to me…and I lost her" Bruce trailed off as his voice crackled.

"Its not fair" Bruce muttered as he felt the tears gather in his eyes. "Its not fair" he repeated feeling the anger rise in his chest.

"ITS NOT FAAAAIIIRRR!" the teen yelled making Rachel jump with tears flowing down her eyes as she watched with pure heartache as her friend fell to pieces in front of her. "WHY DID THEY HAVE TO LEAVE ME? EVERYONE ELSE GETS WHAT THEY WANT, WHY NOT ME? WHERES MY HAPPY ENDING? MY PARENTS AND BELLA WERE GOOD PEOPLE, THEY DIDN'T DESERVE WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM. AND YET THERE ARE MONSTERS OUT THERE WHO ARE STILL ROAMING THE FREAKING STREETS AND THE FATES HAVE DECIDED TO CUT INNOCENT LIVES SHORT. EVERY GOOD ASPECT IN MY LIFE IS GONE, VANISHED JUST LIKE THAT. I CAN'T THINK STRAIGHT, I CAN'T EAT, I CAN'T SLEEP ANYMORE BECAUSE I KEEP SEEING THEIR DEATHS OVER AND OVER AGAIN IN MY MIND. I HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO GIVE. NOT A DAY GOES BY THAT I DON'T WISH I WERE DEAD!"

"Bruce just calm dow…"

"AND YOU! YOU DARE TO COME HERE AND TELL ME TO LET IT GO?"

"Bruce please I'm sorry"

"Well guess what Rachel? As long as I have breathe in my body I will never let it go, I will NEVER let them go" Bruce said as the tears rolled down his face.

Rachel getting off the couch approached her friend and gently took him into her arms as the two of them wept together.

Never in her life had Rachel ever seen Bruce so emotionally broken until now, all the anger he had kept hidden from the loss of his parents and Bella had finally been progressed. She knew he hadn't meant to snap at her like he did, he'd just been too lost in the heat of moment.

"Bruce, you don't have to through this alone. I'm here, and John is too. Were always gonna be here for you" Rachel said.

"I just…I don't know what to do anymore. I feel so lost and I can't find my way back" Bruce said sniffling.

"Shhh its okay, your gonna get through this I promise you" Rachel said as the tears continued to flow.

"What if I can't? What if I'm not able to keep going?" Bruce asked sounding vulnerable.

"You have to, for me, for John and Alfred. We need you Bruce, you can't give up" Rachel pleaded.

Bruce then turning his head to the mantelpiece looked upon a photo that was taken when he was 8 years of age. It was one of him, his parents and Bella the day they'd gone to the circus to see the flying Grayson's. The four of them looked so happy together, he and Bella were grinning like idiots holding cotton candy in their hands as his parents were knelt down beside them with huge smiles.

"You know I swear I hear them sometimes" Bruce said not taking his eyes off the picture.

"Hear who?" Rachel questioned pulling back to look at him.

"My parents. Whenever I'm wandering the house I can sometimes hear my mothers voice echoing down the halls, or on one or two occasions I see my father sitting in his chair infront of the fireplace with my younger self sat beside him as he reads me a story" Bruce said with a watery smile.

"Oh Bruce" Rachel sobbed.

"And just for a moment, just that tiny second of a moment I allow myself to believe its real. That their still here" Bruce said voice breaking.

"They'll always be here, your parents were good people Bruce. The memory's you have of them are your motivation in life, they would want you to carry on in their name" Rachel said.

"My parents deserve justice Rachel, Bella too" Bruce said.

"Justice has already been served Bruce, Joe Chill is rotting away in jail and will hopefully be for the rest of his miserable life" Rachel said.

"But what about Bella? Her kidnappers were never found because the law gave up too easy" Bruce said.

"It wasn't anybody's fault Bruce, the police did all they could. But there was no evidence, no leads, nothing. Nothing that could guarantee us Bella's safe return" Rachel trying to reason with him.

"Bella's father gave everything to find his daughter Rachel, he gave more than any law firm could. But in the end the system backstabbed him by taking his badge away and dropping the search. Bella was never found because the law didn't do enough" Bruce hissed.

"Not everyone can always work miracles Bruce, no matter how badly we want to" Rachel said.

"Its not about working miracles Rachel, its about having faith in someone when they really need it and when a 9 nine year old girl needed it five years ago nobody except her friends and family gave a damn" Bruce said.

"But that's the point, between the law and us we never gave up. We held onto hope when none else did, true it may not have brought her home but at least we fought for her. And I pray wherever she is right now she'll know just how loved she was" Rachel said with tears glistening in her eyes.

"She is loved" Bruce said correcting the past tense Rachel had spoken.

"Commissioner Gordon is hosting a memorial this Saturday at central park in remembrance of all the lives that have been lost over the years. John and I are going, why don't come as well and that way the three of us can say a proper goodbye to your parents, John's and Bella. Give them the great send off they deserve" Rachel suggested.

Bruce knowing at this point that his friend wasn't gonna get the point anytime soon just decided to go along with her idea, he knew Rachel's heart was in the right place but he didn't need her lecturing him on how to live his life.

"Sure, I'll be there" Bruce said forcing a smile.

"Good" Rachel nodded returning the gesture. "Well I gotta get home but I'll see you on Saturday okay?" she asked as Bruce nodded in return.

"Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it" said Bruce.

"Your welcome" Rachel smiled giving her friend a peck on the cheek before turning to walk out the room grabbing up her bag on the way.

As soon as she was gone Bruce walked over to the mantelpiece picking up the picture frame and glanced directly upon Bella's little face. It was amazing that even now after all these years how her adorable smile could still affect him, it reminded him that his heart was not entirely dead if she could still make it beat. Running his thumb over the picture Bruce felt a tear leak from the corner of his eye, but didn't try to wipe it away.

"I'm not giving up" Bruce softly spoke placing the frame back on the mantelpiece.

He didn't care what anyone said, he knew what he believed in and Bruce believed with all his might that Isabella Blake was still alive. His parents always taught him right from wrong in life, well wrong was Gotham for their negativity and right was he.

Bruce had to say though that he was utterly disappointed that John had actually lost hope for his sister's safe return, because what kind of brother would does that? Of course Bruce could see why John felt like it was a lost cause considering the state of things, but if by some miracle his sister was eventually found Bella would want to come back knowing that the people she loved had not aloud her to drift away but had gone the distance to bring her home where she belonged.

But having watched one by one as everyone had given up all Bruce could picture in his mind was a heavy iron door slamming shut on a 9 year old scared and tearful Bella, and that alone crushed Bruce to no end.

No, he wouldn't give up. He wouldn't walk away, not from her. Someone had to have faith in Bella and if wasn't gonna be John or Rachel it would be him.

"I'll never give up, I promise"

**Author's note: Poor Bruce, to loose ones parents and then loose a best friend is just devastatingly tragic. Let's hope that he keeps his promise to not give up on Bella ay?**

**Leave your reviews. **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

BPOV

**14 year's old**

May 6th 2006

Loneliness, that's all I felt. The deafening loneliness. Ever since that faithful night my world had been consumed by the never ending torture of the monster's that surrounded me day and night.

I begged and begged of them to let me go questioning my captor over and over again what he wanted and why he was doing this to me, but like the black hearted person he was he simply told me to shut up before giving me a back hand or two.

I was kept in a small cell like padded room that was pitch black with no windows had a bed in the corner and was completely soundproof so none on the outside would hear my cries for help.

I hardly slept anymore because the nightmares were constant and not only that but I was afraid that if I closed my eyes I would never open them again.

Each and every day I'd poured my heart and soul into the prayers that I'd hoped would somehow carry me to safety, but over the years my faith had slowly died as the cold terrifying mist of darkness became a permanent home in my heart.

I thought about my Dad, John and Bruce all the time and wondered what had become of them. Were they alright? Were they thinking of me as I was of them? And were they/had they tried to find me?

If there was one thing I believed in it was that my family would never give up on me, we never gave up on our own if one us was still breathing. A part of me had and will always yearn for my father to come to my rescue so I could finally return home to the people I love once more.

But after a while it occurred to me that perhaps it was better this way, it was better that I remained unfound because the thought of my father trying to play hero only to get himself hurt in the process made my blood run cold. I'd rather die than allow that to happen, John needed our father now more ever and at least if I remained undiscovered they'd be safe.

**15 year's old**

November 23rd 2007

They'd sent in a playmate as they so put it to keep me company for the day because my captor said he felt like being generous seeing as I'd been on my best behaviour, though I was shocked to learn that the person who he'd chosen was actually his son. His name was Jonathan Crane Junior.

His father (who's name turned out to be Jonathan Crane Senior) had then left us alone where Crane Jr had then started up a random discussion. It turned out he was 16 years of age was currently in his last year of school, he planned to go college and university to get himself a scholarship so could go on to get a job in psychiatry just like his father. I would have found myself liking Jonathan had it not been for the look in his eyes that told me he wasn't all he cracked up to be.

I'd asked him if he knew why I was being held prisoner, but Jonathan had just shrugged and said he had no clue. Liar. The truth could be seen behind his eyes like clear glass but like his father Jonathan was being a complete douche bag.

Never mind though I wasn't about to give up. I was gonna get the answers I needed, one way or another.

**16 year's old**

August 12th 2008

Today I had earned yet another beating after refusing to do as I was told because you see one of men who worked for Crane Senior had tried to inject me with something, but like a quick reflex I'd bit the man's hand before he could touch me and busted his kneecap.

I'm not entirely sure what it was but the second I saw him holding that needle something inside me had just snapped, it was frightening and yet I couldn't help but feel proud of myself for fighting back even if it did earn me a black eye it was undoubtedly worth it.

**17 year's old**

October 3rd 2009

God this was insane, I didn't know how much more I could take. They'd been pumping me full of these god forsaken drugs every four hours a day for the past year and a half, I still have no idea what it was they were violating my body with but I knew for sure it was driving me crazy. When it came time for the next round I'd put up a good but in the end they'd managed to get the upper hand and strapped me down good and tight.

My mind was tarring itself apart to the point I could hardly think straight anymore. All I ever did these days was pace back and forth in my cell feeling my whole body shaking from the anger that threatened to over come me.

The darkness, the all consuming darkness. Why wouldn't it just go away? Won't somebody please end this torment?

I could hear the clock ticking in my head, it was so loud, too loud.

Go away!

I had to get out of here, I just had too.

**18 year's old**

February 17th 2010

I'd killed him, there was blood on my hands. I was a murderer. How could I…I mean I don't even remember? One minute he was standing there and the next I was straddling a dead mans corpse, his face was mangled to the point he was almost unrecognisable, but it was him. My captor.

Jonathan Crane Senior

His skull was cracked open with blood splattered everywhere and my hands still wrapped round his throat, which I then quickly retracted. What the hell had I done? I wanted to scream but nothing came out.

The second Crane Jr walked in and saw the horrific crime scene he immediately leapt over and yanked me off his father by my hair dragging me into a corner of the room before throwing me to the floor where he then proceeded to beat the living shit out of me. He kicked punched and slapped me to the outcome of fracturing my entire rib cage, busting my left eye socket, breaking my right leg in two places, dislocating my left arm and fracturing four fingers on my right hand.

I'd never felt so much pain in all my life, it felt like it had gone on for hours and by the time he was finished my entire body was caked head to toe in blood. I couldn't move, I found it hard to breath and could practically hear my heart beating in my ears.

With my good eye I saw Crane drag his fathers body out of the room before coming back just moments later holding something in his hands that I couldn't quite make out because my vision was so blurry, but as he got closer it became much clearer.

A gun.

He was gonna shoot me, he was literally going to kill me.

This was it, it was the end of the road. After years of torture my life had reached its final destination.

Dad, John, Bruce, Rachel I love you all so much, I'm so sorry I never got to say goodbye. Please don't forget me.

As I saw Crane stand over me aiming the gun at my head I felt a tear escape as I closed my eyes and welcomed deaths cold hands.

BANG!

**Author's Note: CLIFFHANGER! Oh gosh, what do you think? Has Bella met her end? Guess we'll just have to wait and see.**

**Why do we think that Crane kept Bella prisoner? What was her importance? Let me know your opinions.**

**Leave your reviews.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

**3 year's later**

Bruce Wayne awoke in the early hours of the morning to what felt like a jackhammer going off in his head. He'd attended an event the night before run by Harvey Dent and Bruce had undoubtedly got himself wasted to the point he was sure it would be in the papers, but then again when wasn't his life splashed all over the papers for everyone to have a good nosy.

He rolled over and saw the blonde he'd pulled last night laying in his bed, groaning at this Bruce quietly pealed himself out from under the covers and quietly got dressed before deciding to head on down to the bat cave.

Ah yes now the bat cave interesting story, you see six years ago after Joe Chill was released from prison but shot not long after Bruce had come to the conclusion that Gotham was in serious need of some assistance because from the way things were going the city would soon crash and burn to the ground.

He wouldn't let that happen, not on his watch.

So he'd travelled across the globe intent on learning and training his body to the ways of martial arts and combat so he could fight for the justice of the world, though that being said there was only three people he truly fought for and that was his mother father and Bella.

Upon passing through Bhutan Bruce met a man by the name of Ra's al Ghul who just so happened to be the master and runner of a group called the League of Shadows, he told Bruce that he'd be happy to take him under his wing and train him to face his fears as long as he was dedicated enough to keep up.

To say Bruce had bit off more than he could chew was putting it mildly, the man had certainly given him a run for his money but Bruce although went through immense pain day after day he had seen his training threw right to very end.

Of course non of it would have been possible if he didn't have Ra's daughter Lara al Ghul supporting him along the way, she had fought along side him, tended to his wounds and they'd talked and talked until there was nothing left to talk about and just kept each other company.

Now Bruce hadn't known what it was but there'd been something about Lara that seemed so familiar to him, she'd always managed to capture his attention whenever present and it had frustrated him each time because he knew that he knew her but just couldn't figure out how.

It wasn't until his training had been completed that Bruce found out that he'd been associating with a bunch of criminals after Lara had pulled him aside one night and told him that her father was nothing more than a violent sociopath whom planned to do away with Gotham like he had with many other city's that she had stood by and watched him destroy. She'd apologized to Bruce for not telling him sooner but begged him to put a stop the League of Shadow's before it was too late and more innocent lives suffered at the hands of her father.

The following day after that Ra's had put together a ceremony that would test Bruce's loyalty with the league, he'd wanted him to kill a criminal who had been kept prisoner at the temple. But instead of following the orders of his mentor Bruce had cut the criminal of his restraints and set the place alight, though Ra's men had tried to stop him Lara had jumped in and personally gotten the bastards off his back.

That had left Bruce to deal with Ra's who had lost the plot trying to remove Bruce's head but fortunately Ra's had gotten knocked out by an explosion leaving both Bruce and Lara with the advantage to escape.

Once they had gotten to safety Lara had advised Bruce that it would be in his best interest to get as far away from Bhutan as possible before the rest of her fathers followers found him, Bruce though unwilling to leave his friend behind had insisted she return to Gotham with him where he could and would ensure her safety. Of course Lara had protested explaining that she wasn't worth the time or day but Bruce brushing her words off simply told her that she was going with him and that was that.

The press had a field day upon Bruce's return questioning where he had been what he'd been doing and who his lovely companion was. It was just fortunate that he had given Lara a heads up before the media ambushed her like the desperate beasts they were, Bruce just felt bad that she was now a target for them to prey on wherever and however they wanted.

Bruce then invited Lara to stay at the manner, something she only agreed to until she got herself a job and found an apartment though Bruce had told her there was no need Lara being stubborn said she had no intention of living off his money any longer than necessary.

Anyway a few weeks after his miraculous return Bruce noted that the police force were still struggling to deal with the amount of fugitives on the streets and decided that it was time to put his training to good use. So using the steal strong armour he'd worn in Bhutan Bruce had designed and made himself a disguise that was both daring but stealthy. He had overcome his greatest fears but now Bruce was dedicated to bringing nightmares to those who preyed on the lives of the innocent and wasn't gonna stop until every last delinquent had fallen to the hands of justice.

No sooner had Bruce begun his mission he'd soon found his masked identity slapped in the newspapers and spread all over Gotham. The police force though of him as a criminal of some sort while half of the city named him a hero and they even gave him a name, Batman.

Yes Batman, the cape crusader.

He didn't know why but after hearing Lara (who knew nothing about his secret) tell a work pal of hers that she admired Batman and thought he was the best thing to happen to Gotham Bruce had taken his hero life a step further by using the cave under his house that he'd fell in as a boy to build a secret sanctuary/head quarters for Batman with the help of Alfred (whom was the only one to know).

After that Bruce had then begun juggling his personal life and Batman with work, that being said since he'd gotten home Bruce had stepped up to take over Wayne Enterprises which had once been his parents company that now belonged to him.

Though no matter how hard he tried the people of Gotham had and will always see Bruce Wayne as nothing more than a waste of space that wasn't worthy of success. So giving the public exactly what they expected Bruce begun acting the drunken idiotic fool dragging his name through the mud laughing on the outside but on the inside was ashamed. He didn't want to live his life like this, he just hoped his parents would forgive him for disgracing the Wayne name though he didn't deserve it.

Back to the present though Bruce had just gotten down the staircase when he heard the sound of muffled voices coming from the front door. Going to investigate Bruce was surprised to see both Rachel and John stood on the porch talking to Alfred.

"Rachel John" Bruce smiled descending down the stairs to greet his friends.

"Hey stranger" Rachel smiled.

"Long time no see buddy" John said shaking Bruce's hand.

"I'll just go start breakfast Sir" spoke Alfred nodding his head at the couple before disappearing into the house.

"What brings you guys here?" Bruce asked.

But just then without warning Bruce felt a sharp blow across his face causing his head to snap to the side. It took him a few seconds to realise that Rachel had just slapped him as he turned to face his friend only to see a pissed off expression on her face.

"What the hell was that for?" Bruce asked feeling shocked yet annoyed at the same time.

"Six years! No phone call or even message, how could you? How could you just up and leave like that Bruce without saying anything? We thought we'd never see you again!" Rachel shrieked.

Bruce sighing in guilt should have known this was to be expected.

"I know I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry. I just needed to get away for a while and clear my head" Bruce said.

"Where'd you go?" asked John.

"I sort of travelled from place to place just seeing some of the sights my Dad told me about. What about you two though? How have you been?" Bruce asked wanting to get off the subject of his travels.

"Well John's now working for the force, I'm a fully trained attorney for Gotham City District and we're recently engaged" Rachel said holding up her left hand to show the ring on her finger.

"Engaged?" Bruce asked jaw dropped.

"Yep, I popped the question last month. We would have told you sooner except..." John trailed off.

"No no that's okay its my fault, but wow that's fantastic. Congratulations" Bruce grinned feeling really happy for his friends to be finally tying the knot.

Though his smile soon faded at the downcast expressions on Rachel and John's faces that told Bruce that this was not such a cheerful occasion.

"What's wrong?" Bruce asked them.

"Do you mind if we come in? There's something we really need to tell you" Rachel said swallowing a lump in her throat.

"Sure come through" Bruce said stepping aside to allow them to pass.

He wondered what it was they needed to tell him and why he suddenly had a horrible gut wrenching in his stomach.

The three went into the lounge area where Bruce took a seat on the couch whilst Rachel and John both stood.

"So what is it?" Bruce asked them.

"Three years ago my team and I were investigating a guy called Jonathan Crane senior, a supposed psychiatrist that turned out to be a total nut job. To make things short and sweet Crane was into some pretty shady stuff and when word got about that he was up to no good we moved in to put behind bars but the bastard managed to slip away, for months we tried to track him down but Crane just vanished without a trace. Finally though we got a lead that Crane and his fellow workers had been running an underground shipment for god knows how long at the old abandoned Asylum, but again by the time we'd gotten there Crane was long gone. We did however...find something" John said swallowing a lump in his throat as he felt Rachel give his hand a squeeze.

"What?" Bruce asked curious at this point.

"Blood, and tons of it too" John said feeling sick. "I had my team take some samples to see whom it belonged to and when the results finally came back I had it checked over and over again hoping that there had to be some sort of mistake, but it was a concrete factor" he said voice breaking.

"What was?" Bruce asked not liking one bit where this was going.

"It was Bella's Bruce, the blood belonged to my sister" John sobbed.

With those spoken Bruce yet again felt his whole world come tumbling down right into the fiery pits of hell.

'Bella, no god please no!' Bruce inwardly pleaded.

He didn't know what to say or even how to feel for that matter, all he could picture in his mind was the broken massacred body of his best friend laid out on the floor with her blood splattered across the walls. At that point Bruce gripped his stomach not knowing whether he wanted to throw up or scream till he had no air left in his lungs.

Bella, oh sweet Bella he was so sorry. All that time he'd wasted and now she was gone, he'd failed her just like he had his parents.

Just then though as Bruce felt the tears sting his eyes he conked on to something.

"Was there a body?" Bruce asked lifting his head to look at his friend.

"What?" John asked sniffling.

"Did you find her body?" Bruce asked more desperately this time.

'Please say no please say no' Bruce thought to himself.

"Er no her body was never found, we tried but there was nothing" John informed him.

"And was the blood fresh when you found it?" Bruce asked.

"Most likely" John shrugged.

At that moment Rachel could practically see the wheels turning in Bruce's head.

"Then there's still hope" Bruce muttered.

"Bruce, no. Don't do this, it's over she's gone" Rachel said shaking her head.

"Not to me, Bella's still out there I know it" Bruce confidently spoke.

"The evidence says otherwise" Rachel said.

"All that was found was blood no body, which tells me everything I need to know. Until I actually see Bella's cold corpse for myself it'll never be over" Bruce said.

"It was three years ago Bruce they could have ridden of her body long since then" Rachel argued though giving her fiancé an apologetic look.

"If Crane was the one who took Bella then he must have had some sort of motive to just take her and not John and if that's so then he wouldn't have just killed her" Bruce said getting up from the couch to pace the room.

"You think someone else was involved?" John asked him.

"It's a possibility but the question is who? Who wanted Bella? Why did they want her? And if she's still alive what are they doing to her?" Bruce questioned. "Did you ever catch up with Crane?" he asked John.

"Eventually, but apparently karma came back to bite him in the ass" John sighed.

"What do you mean?" Bruce asked.

"He was dead, murdered as his son put it" John said.

"His son?" Bruce questioned.

"Doctor Jonathan Crane Junior or as I call him the slimy little scumbag" Rachel bitterly spoke.

"Why? What's he done to piss you off?" Bruce asked her.

"Apart from transferring every last one of Carmine Falcone's followers to Arkum Asylum while I'm basically busting my ass to get them behind bars, nothing" Rachel explained.

"We need to keep a close eye on him, if he's got something to hide its only a matter of time before he drops his guard and we need to be ready when it happens" Bruce instructed.

"I'll tell the boys at the station to stay alert" John agreed.

"And I'll try to find out what he's doing to those guys at the Arkum" Rachel said.

"Hey just you be careful, if this guys half a screw loose as his father I don't want you within ten feet of him. Got that?" John caringly told her.

"He's right Rachel, if you're going to do this you need to really stay under the radar" Bruce said.

"Oh don't worry I haven't let Crane get the best of me so far and I'm not about to start now" Rachel assured them.

And just like that operation find Bella was officially in motion.

Little did the trio know though was that Lara had listened in on their entire conversation from the stairs out of view.

To say she felt awful was saying the absolute least, all she wanted to do was go down there and tell them exactly what she knew but for the life of her she just couldn't bring herself to do it.

They could never know the real truth about what had happened to Bella, it would crush them. It was better for the three to live in hope then no hope at all, Lara just wished it didn't have to be like this because these people didn't deserve the pain. It was all her father's fault, if she'd have stood up to him sooner non of this would be happening right now. She hoped he burned in hell for his savage crimes because it was nothing than the asshole deserved.

As she watched Bruce walk the couple to the door sharing a hug with them Lara felt the tears well up in her eyes, she should never have agreed to come here because now the guilt was deadlier than ever before but she had to stay strong and remind herself what would happen if she confessed all. She couldn't let it happen, she wouldn't.

'I'm so sorry guys' Lara thought to herself tears now rolling down her cheeks as she quietly went back to her room.

**Author's Note: Oooo how do you suppose Lara knows about Bella? And what does she know? Let me know your thoughts.**

**Leave your reviews. **


End file.
